Boots Day – 1973 Topps #307

Charles Frederick “Boots” Day(born August 31, 1947) is a retired American professional baseball outfielder. A native of Ilion, New York, Day played Major League Baseball for all or parts of six seasons (1969–74), with the bulk of that time spent with the Montreal Expos. He threw and batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 160 pounds. Day originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966, and received a Major League trial with the Cardinals in 1969, playing in 11 games and going hitless in six at bats. At the close of the season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for left-handed pitcher Rich Nye. He made the Cubs’ opening day 1970 roster, but was soon traded again, in May, to Montreal for veteran catcher Jack Hiatt. After further seasoning in Triple-A, at Buffalo and Winnipeg, he was recalled by the Expos and played the next three-plus seasons as Montreal’s platoon center fielder. In 1971, his best Major League campaign, he reached career highs in hits (105), home runs (4), runs batted in (33), and batting average (.283) in 122 games played. After slumping in 1972, he returned to form the following season, batting .275 in 101 games in 1973. But the Expos acquired veteran center fielder Willie Davis in an offseason blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Day lost his semi-regular job. After only 52 games and 72 at bats in 1974, he returned to the minor leagues for the remainder of his playing career.